Staff not to blame for lack of tickets

BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- The railway service hotline 12306 has set a wall so its staff can vent their negative emotions and ease the pressure. Even though many people have failed to get a ticket home this Spring Festival, the staff of the service hotline are neither the ones to blame nor deserve the countless complaints and even curses they have received, says an article in Beijing Times. Excerpts:

For customer service staff, what awaits them are not only complaints from discontented passengers, but also a significant test of the railway department and even the country's overall transport system. The distribution of transportation resources concerns everyone's right to reunite with their family, but such tensions will remain before informatization takes substantial effect. As a result, not only customer service staff, but also passengers need to find a channel to vent their distress.

In 2013's travel peak period during the Spring Festival, up to 240 million passengers traveled between their hometown and work by train. The number of passengers who want to buy a train ticket always outnumbers the number of train tickets for sale. The situation is the same this year, and is even more serious for this is the first Spring Festival travel peak since the China Railway Corporation was established.

Solving this problem, which bothers the majority of people, will not happen overnight under the current situation that resources cannot meet needs. Relevant departments and all social sectors should take immediate actions to help alleviate the intensive pressure on railway system.

Every year during the Spring Festival hundreds of thousands of migrant workers ride on motorcycle to travel back home and now many of them will enjoy aid from the traffic police, such as repairs and free water. Perhaps when the railway capacity is increased and the booking service more thoughtful, the call-center staff will not need a wall to give vent to their anger any more.